Minimising chemical waste and costs with Walki’s soft foam solution

Cost efficiency, compliance with environmental regulation and safety are important for soft foam manufacturers. Soft foam is used in furniture, car interiors, mattresses and other technical applications. Chemical waste account for as much as 97 % of the production costs of soft foam. Minimizing chemical waste is thus a top priority for customers.

“Our solutions can reduce waste in the production process by as much as 3%,” says Arno Wolff, Vice president Sales and Marketing Technical Products.

Walki is one of the most experienced global suppliers of soft foam process liner materials.

“Productivity, environmental friendliness and runnability are the most important factors,” says Wolff.

Soft foam is produced by injecting polyurethane onto the inner walls of foaming tunnels, each up to 60 metres in length. Walki´s solutions eliminate web breaks which are chemical leaks that lead to process interruptions. After peeling, the paper can either be recycled or resold, so the customer gets added value in the form of potential extra profit.

“We use the best possible paper from Scandinavia that’s perfectly suited for this product” ; says Wolff.

Walki-Foam’s production is based at the group’s Valkeakoski and Pietarsaari plants in Finland with additional back up in Germany.

“Our pilot machine allows us to develop new products, such as those with flame retardant qualities, polyethylene terephthalate, or other intelligent solutions,” says Wolff. “The most important aspect for customers is overall cost, but it’s also necessary to meet the safety regulation demands and environmental considerations.”